Why do some patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer benefit more from chemo-immunotherapy than others? An international team involving DQBM’s Bodenmiller Lab combined genomic, gene-expression and tissue-imaging analyses of samples from the SYNERGY trial and EORTC-1553-SPECTA initiative.
The researchers identified a gene-expression signature associated with progression-free survival. Tumours rich in organised immune-cell clusters were linked to favourable outcomes, while fibrotic, blood-vessel-associated environments were linked to poorer outcomes. During treatment, early progression was associated with tissue remodelling, increased macrophages and alternative immune-suppressing signals.
These findings highlight how the tumour microenvironment may contribute to resistance and inform future combination-treatment trials. The signature’s performance varied across cohorts, underlining the need for further validation before clinical use.
Read the publication in Cell Reports Medicine